NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former partner at Grant Thornton was arrested on Wednesday on charges that he stole nearly $4 million in client payments meant for the global accounting firm. Craig Haber, 59, diverted the money to his own bank accounts from 2004 to 2012, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New York. "Fraud is always serious, but it is especially alarming when, as alleged here, it is committed by professionals who are supposed...

A Highwood police and fire commission prosecutor said the state's attorney's office has requested the town delay its hearings against suspended Highwood Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Pieri pending the outcome of the criminal case on the matter. Pieri had been on paid administrative leave since being accused in November 2011 of getting $50,000 in compensation for hours he didn't work. In early October 2013, the police and fire commission voted 2-1 to stop paying...

He was born in England, spent a significant part of his career in Asia and cut his American corporate teeth in Dallas. But Stephen Chipman, now into his third year as chief executive of Grant Thornton LLP, is thinking a lot about Chicago. Specifically, he's on a mission to remind Chicagoans that his accounting and professional services firm, founded here by Alexander Grant in 1924, has global reach but strong local roots. "We're deeply embedded in Chicago,"...

* Grant Thornton chalks up record revenues of $4.5 billion * Invests in Europe to exploit new EU auditing rules * Full alignment of global, U.S. accounting rules "dead" By Huw Jones LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - European Union rules agreed this week to increase competition in accounting are already being felt two years before they take effect, accountants Grant Thornton International said. The EU's new law from 2016 will force 35,000...

Grant Thornton said it has begun searching for a chief executive to succeed Executive Partner Robert Nason when his term expires on July 31, 1998. The Chicago-based accounting firm, the seventh biggest in the nation, emphasized that it may go outside its ranks of 285 partners for the new CEO.

By Huw Jones LONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Global accountant BDO predicts rapid consolidation in the sector due to pressure on fees, regulatory change and big investment costs, that will leave only a couple of mid-sized firms. "Within the next five years, we anticipate that the global consolidation of our profession will gather pace, leaving only two or three substantial mid-tier networks globally," BDO Chief Executive Martin van Roekel told Reuters. The...

He was born in England, spent a significant part of his career in Asia and cut his American corporate teeth in Dallas. But Stephen Chipman, now into his third year as chief executive of Grant Thornton LLP, is thinking a lot about Chicago. Specifically, he's on a mission to remind Chicagoans that his accounting and professional services firm, founded here by Alexander Grant in 1924, has global reach but strong local roots. "We're deeply embedded in...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former partner at Grant Thornton pleaded guilty on Wednesday to stealing nearly $4 million in client payments to the global accounting firm. Craig Haber, who prosecutors said diverted money to his own bank accounts between 2004 and 2012, pleaded guilty to a charge of mail fraud in federal court in New York. "I knew my conduct was wrong," Haber said at a court hearing. "I apologize sincerely to the firm for my actions. " Haber,...

Chicago-based Grant Thornton said up to 25 former Spicer & Oppenheim partners and about 125 staffers plan to join Grant Thornton in New York. Spicer of New York, formerly the nation's 13th biggest public accounting firm, disbanded last Friday because of financial woes. Under an agreement with creditors, Spicer will continue as a nonoperating concern, and partners will contribute to a pool to pay down claims over the next five to seven years. A Spicer spokesman said partners in Chicago...

It might surprise some to know that Arthur Andersen hasn't gone out of business. The last vestige of the once-mighty accounting firm is a sprawling conference center in west suburban St. Charles that was once used to train new bean counters. But Andersen's days in the hospitality business might be numbered. The firm is mulling the sale of the conference center, known as the Q Center, according to its general manager, Tom Donahue. "We're looking at all financial...

Grant Thornton, a Chicago-based accounting firm, reached an out-of-court settlement Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission of fraud charges stemming from the 1985 collapse of ESM Government Securities Inc. of Florida. The accounting firm and four employees agreed to an out-of-court settlement of charges filed by the SEC in Ft. Lauderdale that accused Grant Thornton, formerly Alexander Grant & Co., of issuing "materially false and misleading" audit reports on ESM. The...

By Huw Jones LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - PricewaterhouseCoopers held the top spot in rankings for accounting income last year, a sector where fees were squeezed by increased regulatory scrutiny and competition, an International Accounting Bulletin survey said on Wednesday. The closely watched annual survey showed that the "Big Four" accounting firms - PwC , Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young - took 67 percent of the total $165.4 billion in fees which the sector...

It might surprise some to know that Arthur Andersen hasn't gone out of business. The last vestige of the once-mighty accounting firm is a sprawling conference center in west suburban St. Charles that was once used to train new bean counters. But Andersen's days in the hospitality business might be numbered. The firm is mulling the sale of the conference center, known as the Q Center, according to its general manager, Tom Donahue. "We're looking at all financial...

NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Emerging economies will lead growth in 2013 as the global economic outlook remains challenged by the eurozone's debt crisis and high unemployment in the United States, according to a report released on Wednesday. Growth rates in and around Europe look weak over the next 12 months with an expected expansion of 0.2 percent in the eurozone and 1.1 percent in the United Kingdom, according to Grant Thornton's quarterly...

He was born in England, spent a significant part of his career in Asia and cut his American corporate teeth in Dallas. But Stephen Chipman, now into his third year as chief executive of Grant Thornton LLP, is thinking a lot about Chicago. Specifically, he's on a mission to remind Chicagoans that his accounting and professional services firm, founded here by Alexander Grant in 1924, has global reach but strong local roots. "We're deeply embedded in...